Hey guys. I am wanting to replace my '69 trailing arms with a set of offset trailing arms during my rebuild so I can run wider tires while keeping the rubber inside of the fender wells. My questions is, how hard it is to take new, bare and offset trailing arms and put everything on them the way they are supposed to be, set up right and back on the car? Keep in mind that I have never fooled with the trailing arms at all. I know that Van Steel sells them completely assembled, but I'm trying to see if going cheaply and trying to do it myself would be worth it in the end....

 

I think I spent around $750-$850 on the trailing arm rebuild. This did not include the offset trailing arms I bought from Van Steel. That included a spindle tool kit off of ebay (came with every tool all the vendors sell - spindle press, spindle knocker, spindle setup tool). It was a deal so I decided to buy the whole kit...I think I got it all for around $250. That being said, I only used the spindle setup tool for the rebuild...I have yet to touch the other tools (my friend removed the spindles for me at his shop before I got the kit in the mail). I bought two brand new spindles for a total of around $260. I can't remember how much the new bearings, oil seals and new spacers/shims cost me...i'm guessing maybe $150 for the front and rear (I bought quality bearings and oil seals). I probably spent around $30 on misc parts I needed. I also bought new stainless steel parking brakes and hardware for around $50. This all being said, it can be done for a lot less than what I paid. The great thing about doing it yourself is you learn a lot and if it ever breaks on you in the future, it isn't going to cost you a ton of money. I was able to dial in the endplay on one trailing arm at .0015 and the other trailing arm was .002-.0025. I asked tons of questions on the subject before I attempted it, but they look perfect now! Dan at Van steel helped me rebuild my trailing arms by answering any questions I had for him. I also got a ton of help from Gary (GTR1999). He is a great guy and is willing to answer any questions you have for him. If I were to do this over again, I'd still do it myself rather than sending them out to get done. You probably won't be able to dial them in that close to .001 at home using the shim kits. I calculated what size shim I needed and then had my friend machine me up two new shims to the exact size I needed. If you don't have a friend who owns a machine shop, you could always draw up a picture and take it to a local machine shop to have it done - the only difference is that it is going to cost you some money - it shouldn't cost you a lot to get them made. Keeping this in mind, I am only 18 years old and have done everything else on my car as well. I couldn't have done it without the help of both forums - both here and DC. If you are wary about your skills, you might be better of sending them out to get rebuilt by a professional, such as Gary Ramadei all the way in New Haven Connecticut - he does the best work. I personally would build them myself, but that is just my opinion. My trailing arms are damn near perfect now and I know that no "professional" shop here in Calgary would have set them up any better than I did. I am a pro at this rebuild now - once you do it once, you'll wonder why you ever thought of sending them out to get rebuilt. The first rebuild is going to cost a lot of money, you'll have to buy a cheap press from princess auto (Canada's form of Harbor Freight), the spindle setup tool, a dial indicator with base, and several other custom tools...but if you ever have to do it again, all it is going to cost you is the parts for the rebuild. I decided to swap to offsets after the rebuild was complete. I had to remove the parking brakes and install the bearing assembly on the offset trailing arms, and then reinstall the parking brakes. Research is key when it comes to the rear bearings - ask tons of questions on the subject if you plan on doing them yourself.

Here is what mine look like now, I couldn't be any happier with the end results.





I suggest you get in contact with Gary Ramadei (GTR1999) over on DC. He was a great help when I rebuilt mine.

 

I forgot to mention one thing which should answer your question plain and simple. Whether you plan on doing it yourself or farming it out to one of the vendors, there is no cheap way to do this. If you do it yourself and get all the correct tools, it will be real cheap the next time you need to do them...all it would cost you is the parts. The first time is going to cost you some money.

 

Thanks for the info and the pics. I do have some mechanical skills, although not at an expert level by any means. I have done maintenance on and replaced engines and most suspension / steering type items on vehicles before and chased a lot of wiring issues down, but I've never touched a trailing arm and was worried about getting one dialed in to the right tolerances. I appreciate your advise though. I'll probably try this one myself with a lot of questions to the forum.

By the way, I've got a question and it is mostly derived out of envy...I'm not knocking your age at all, but how in the world did you, at the age of 18, land a Vette and get this far into working on one? When I was 18 I was happy to have anything that was drivable and a Vette was absolutely out of the question as far as expense and insurance was concerned. However you came about one, kudos to you dude. You've got to be the envy of a bunch of other fellows your age...and older too......I'm 37 now and didn't get mine until I was around 34....it's been in storage and only tinkered with - no garage to work on it in until now.

Thanks again.

 

I decided a couple of years ago that I wanted to restore a 1969 Camaro - I searched for a year while I saved up the case while working for my father full time in the summer. I couldn't find a camaro in decent shape that wasn't a fortune...and then I found my vette for $5500. It wasn't going to be a driver - it was going to be a project. I have worked with my hands my entire life, and wanted a big project. I got it in grade 11 and worked on it until I finished high school last fall. My parents lent me the garage at home for my project...nicest parents ever. I took the year off this year to work full time for my father and build the vette, and here I am today. I just applied for university last week and am heading back to school this upcoming year. Most of my friends don't even know how to turn a wrench and they could care less about cars - I was the only one that was into building stuff at a really young age. Anyways, if you need any help, send me a PM and I'll answer any questions you have for me. I knew nothing about bearings before I started the trailing arms, but the end result was great. I'm custom building my differential right now...and I have never had any experiences with rear ends before. Like I said, research is key to any succesful project.

 

Thanks man. I appreciate the help. I think it's a great thing that you have the experience you do and the willingness to keep at it. Not enough young people are interested in the old cars these days. Nice work so far on the Vette and nice pictures. You're going to have a quality ride when you are through.

Good luck in school.